Struggle in Russia

The Duke of Aldorf has been quite busy recently. With the tide of revolution once again setting off waves in Europe, with the fall of France again, and with Nicholas I's sensitive nerves highly tense, his third part It's been a long day.

Because the early warning of the revolutionary storm was not timely, the response was not particularly satisfactory. Nicholas I had taught and complained to the Duke of Ordorf several times, which made the old man feel ashamed and a little panicked.

He knows very well that if he makes another mistake next time, he may be dismissed from his job, idle and sent to prison. Yes, even though he was a confidant of Nicholas I and he was a duke, but the dukes who displeased the tsar in Russian history had a particularly miserable end, and he didn't want to be the next one.

"Check every university, every theater, every salon, and every ball in St. Petersburg. Don't let go of any corners and corners. Keep an eye on the professors and students in those universities, especially those who are sensitive. It is necessary to pay special attention!"

Speaking of this, Ordorf suddenly paused, as if remembering something, frowned, and asked, "What is that Mikhail Vasilyevich doing now?"

Mikhail Vasilyevich, there are 80,000 or 80,000 Russians with this name in Russia, but in St. Petersburg, at the internal meeting of the third department, the specific surname Petrashevs was called by this name base that one.

So what's so special about this Petrashevsky? In fact, it's nothing special, not an earth-shattering big shot, at least not particularly famous in history, but in St. Petersburg in the 1840s, this person was still somewhat influential. Because he founded a utopian socialism research group.

This group is regarded as the pioneer of Russian socialism. The most famous member of this group is Dostoevsky, who is also considered a giant in the literary world.

Of course, the current Dostoevsky is still a fresh meat. He just became popular because of the epistolary Virgo "The Poor", and he has a very good relationship with Nekrasov and Belinsky.

However, the young and ambitious Dostoevsky soon became dissatisfied with the ideas of Nekrasov and Belinsky. He began to be more radical and wanted more freedom, so he soon Parted ways with Nekrasov and Belinsky.

Then he met Petrashevsky, a foreign ministry interpreter of noble origin. This graduate of St. Petersburg University received a doctorate degree in law, but he is not very interested in rigorous legal studies. Instead, he is in love with Fourier's utopian socialism theory.

Please note that this Petrashevsky is not a mentor like Lenin, he does not have that kind of leadership, in a sense, this is more like a rebel in a traditional Russian noble family.

Because Petrashevsky is an out-and-out freak, how can I say it? Because he wants to attract attention and be unique in everything. Back then, Russian officials wore the official uniforms designed by Peter the Great or the military uniforms that Nicholas I liked, but this Petrashevsky wanted to wear strange clothes— —this guy actually went to work in a Spanish cape and top hat.

At that time, Russia clearly stipulated that it was not allowed to grow or grow long hair, but he just wanted to do it: I don’t want me to grow long hair, right? The old man simply shaved his head with no hair, put on a long wig in the style of late 18th century France, and grew a long beard to go to work.

Anyway, he just wants to go against the official regulations and openly express his dissatisfaction and disdain. This kind of neurotic artist temperament is definitely not suitable to be a mentor and leader of the revolution, because people who can't protect themselves will definitely not be able to accomplish great things.

Such people only care about the momentary pleasure and have no long-term plans at all. After the happy time is over, they will be at their peak, and then there will be nothing left.

However, Petrashevsky also played the role of a beacon in the cage-like Russian society back then, and soon gathered around him a group of young people who were as dissatisfied with autocratic rule as he was. This group of people meets regularly to discuss philosophical and social issues and imagine the future. It was later called the Petrashevsky faction or the Petrashevsky utopian socialism group.

There are still distinctions within this Petrashevsky group. The radicals headed by Petrashevsky, Maykov, and Momberry are more unrestrained. They advocate freedom and democracy, and advocate the use of revolutionary violence against counter-revolutionary violence. , hoping to overthrow and overthrow the rule of the Romanov family by means of revolution, eliminate serfdom and establish a free and democratic republic, and want to launch an armed uprising.

However, the liberals or reformists headed by Dostoevsky, Bekremyshev, and Danilevsky are not as wild as Petrashevsky, advocating top-down reforms in Russia. It's better not to play armed uprising or something, this is really scary.

Of course, liberals also have advanced points, such as adhering to materialism and opposing mysticism. Anyway, this small circle can be regarded as the most radical and advanced circle of friends in Russia.

But this group of young people who are flooded with revolutionary romanticism never imagined that they have already been on the blacklist of the third part. As Nicholas I's henchman, how could the third part fail to notice such a maverick Petrashevsky? In fact, the third part dispatched spies to break into the Petrashevsky group early on. The group members and their activities are well-informed.

Naturally, the activities of Petrashevsky's group came into Ordorf's eyes. The old prince didn't take this group of dissolute young people seriously before, he only regarded them as a group of spoiled I don't know the grandeur of the sky and the earth, I think they are just gathering people to talk gossip, and they are just grandstanding.

Because there are too many people like this in St. Petersburg, but they behave in different ways. More people are drunk, such as holding carnival parties or feasting.

But after the revolutionary movements broke out in Paris, Berlin and Vienna one after another, Ordorf no longer dared to be careless, because it was a crazy child like Petrashevsky who suddenly encouraged the mob to run away, easily destroying the Flip one has a government. Who knows if Petrashevsky and his gang plan to follow suit!

If this group of people really started an incident, even if Aldorf thought they could do nothing, as long as they did, it would be a huge disaster. What would Nicholas I think of him? That majesty will never say nothing, but will think this is evidence of his poor work in Aldorf! It wouldn't be fun then...